Electric fire-alarm and call-bell system



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JELEGTRIU FIRE ALARM AND CALL BELL SYSTEM. No. 281,680. Patented July24, 1883. v

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ELECTRIC FIRE ALARM AND CALL BELL SYSTEM.

No. 281,680. Patented July 24, 1883.

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NITED STATES PATENT FF'ICE...

ELECTRIC FIRE-ALARM AND CALL-BELL S YSTEM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Application filed May 7, 1883.

T aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES HENRY FRANK, a citizen. of the UnitedStates, residing at Amsterdam village, in the county of Montgomery andState of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inElectric Fire- Alarm and Gall-Bell Systems, of which the following is aspecification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

The object of my invention is to provide a system of electric call oralarm bells placed in the several rooms of ahotel or other buildingconnected witha battery, and'so constructed and connected together thatin case of fire those occupying the various rooms may be alarmed orcalled by sounding the alarm or call bells in each room by a person inthe office manipulating a switch, or, in case it is desired to call anoccupant of any given room at a certain time, the same may beaccomplished by completing the circuit through a contact bearing anumber to correspond with the number of the room, thereby sounding analarm or call in the desired room.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a general View of my invention,showing my improvements located in the various rooms of a hotel orbuilding and upon different stories or floors, as indicated by thebroken lines and the several references marked thereon. Fig. 2 is asemi-sectional view of the switch-board, as shown in Fig. 1, in the roommarked Office. Fig. 3 is a modification of my invention, showing adifferent form of switch; and Fig. 4 is a detached view of one of thecontacts in Fig. 3.

The arrows indicate the directions of the currents of electricity.

I construct a switch-board, I), of circular form, containing any givennumber of metal contacts on, (see Figs 1 and 2,) substantially of theform as shown at m in Fig. 2, provided with a small hole, a, to receivethe conducting-wires 7, 8, 850., These stumps I secure in a circularform upon a disk, usually of wood, as shown by the dotted lines inFig. 1. The upper portions, a, of these contacts on just nicely passthrough the dial 1).

In the center of the disk I), I secure abinding-post, 0, provided with ahole in its lower or back end to receive the conducting-wire K. Thisbinding-post c has a shoulder at its upper Patent No. 281,680, datedJuly 24, 1883,

(No model.)

I end, so as to receive'the metal lever d, which lever d is secured tothe post upon the shoulder just referred to by the nut e. This metallever d revolves freely upon this post 0, and may be placed in contactwith the several points a, that. extend up through the dial I), therebycompleting the circuit, as will hereinafter more fully appear. I providethis metal lever 01 with a thumb-knob, f, for the operator to manipulatethe lever with. I have shown three battery-cells, ggg, in the drawings;however, under ordinary circumstances, a single cell would besufficient. This battery I locate in the basement or in any otherconvenient locality. These cells are connected together with theconnecting-conductors 113 Within each room of the hotel or building, asindicated by the dotted lines, (see Figs. 1 and 3,) I place in anyconvenient place an electromagnetic bell, n, of the usual and ordinaryconstruction. I do not confine myself to any particular form of bell.

From the battery I run a conductor-wire,

A, to post h of the electro-magnetic bell n in room No. 1, and from thispost h, I extend a conductor, B, to post on the call apparatus in roomNo. 2. From this post a", I extend a c011- duetor to post j on bellapparatus in room No. 3. From this post j, I extend a conductor, D, topost k on the electromagnetic bell in room No. 4; and I continueextending in the same manner conductors E, F, G, H, I, and J to theirrespective posts upon the several electro magnetic-bells in the severalrooms, numbered 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10, respectively, as fully shown indetail in Fig. 1. From the post h on the electro-magnetic bell in roomNo. 1 I extend to the contact-post mon disk I) the return conductor-wireNo. 1, and from post i on the electromagnetic bell in room No. 2 .Iextend the condo ctor-wire No. 2 to the contactpost m in disk 6, allsubstantially as shown; and fromthe posts 7', k, Z, m, n, o, p, and qupon their'respective electromagnetic bells in the several roomsnumbered, respectively, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10, I connect andextend to the contacts m the conducting-wires 3, 4., 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and10.

From binding-post 0 (see Figs. 1 and 2) I extend the conductor K to thebattery 9.

The operation of my invention is as follows: The battery is of coursesupposed to be charged and the currents of electricity to flow, when thecircuit is complete, in the directions indicated by the several arrows.If it is desired to call any particular roon1say, as an illustration,room No. 7 the operator turns the lever (1 directly over contact an 7,as indicated by the broken lines,and presses it down firmly.Binding-post O on electric magnetic bell in room No. 7 is connected byconductor-wire No. 7 with contact on 7 on disk I). The circuit is 110wcompleted through conductor-wires A, 13,0, D, E, F, G, and H to the post0 on call-instrument in room No. 7, then through the magnets of theinstrument, therebysounding the alarm and calling the occupant, andpassing over return-wire No. 7 to and through contact m 7, over lover(I, post 0, wire K, to battery. As long as the operator presses thelever 17. the alarm will continue to be sounded. lVhen the lever 11 isremoved from the contact m 7, the circuit is broken, the current ofelectricity ceases to flow and the gongs to be sounded. By a repetitionof this operation with any of the contacts m, from No. 1 to 10,inclusive, the same results will be produced. This is done, asheretofore described in the case of room No. 7, by completing thecircuit through the contact m and the respective wires leading to eachroom, and the lever (I, post 0, and wire K. In case of fire, and it isnecessary to call the occupants of each room immediately, the attendantin the oflice revolves the lever d, and as it passes each contact in hepresses down the lever and completes the circuit, thereby sounding thegongs upon each electric magnetic instrument in each room as long as thelever (1 remains in contact with the respective contacts 121. Thisoperation would sound the alarms in each room at intervals.

It will be readily seen that by the use of my improvements the guests ofa hotel containing many occupants in a large number of rooms may becalled or alarmed, in case of danger from fire, almost instantlythroughout the whole house, thereby preventing loss of life.

In large hotels each iloor may be provided with my system connected withthe oflice separately, or they may all be connected to gether, as theemergencies of the case may re quire.

I have indicated in the drawings ten rooms connected with the mainoffice. I do not confine myself to any given number of rooms. There maybe ten or there may be five hundred. The operation will be the same ineach case.

Figs. 3 and 4 are modifications of my inrprovements. The connections aremade substantially the same as those described, and shown in Fig. 1. Theonly existing difi'erences consist in the arrangements of theswitchboard. In this arrangement, when it is desired to sound the bellin any particular room, the plug 1), attached to the flexible conductor(1, is inserted into the hole 0 in the bindingpost corresponding to theroom. \Vhen the bells in all the rooms are to be sounded, the plug isbrought in contact with the bindingposts m in succession. Figs. 3 and 4show the modifications that may be made in a switclr board. However, itis evident these modifications do not change the nature of my invention.

I11 the drawings I 112136 shown one well-known form of bell. The tremblyor vibrator bell may be used. In fact, any well-known elastic bell whichoperates upon a closed circuit or makes and breaks in a circuit can beused.

Having fully described myinvention, what I claim new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination, with a series of bells located in various places,and connections from the bells to one side of a battery and to a centraloflice, of a switch-board, I), having contacts m forming the terminalsof the various connections to the bells, and the arm (I in electricalconnection with the other side of the battery, substantially asdescribed.

2. The combination, with a series of bells located in various rooms of ahotel, and having connections with the battery and aswitchboard, of aswitch having connection with the battery, and a switch-board,constructed substantially as described, whereby any one of the bells maybe rung independently, or all may be rung in succession, as and for thepurpose described.

In testimony whereofI alfix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES HENRY FRANK.

\Vitnesses:

PETER J. LEWIS, JOHN V. Moimis.

